Can you recover from schizophrenia?

Having a strong social network — and being hopeful — can lead to a better outcome.

People who develop schizophrenia later in life are more likely to go into remission.
(Photo: Andrey_Kuzmin/Shutterstock)

Over the years psychologists have changed the way they think about and treat
schizophrenia,
the mental illness made famous by mathematician John
Nash, subject of the film “A Beautiful Mind.” Now, instead of assuming the
illness will likely be lifelong and that the patient will inevitably
deteriorate over time, doctors know that a percentage of people will likely be
able to recover given the right set of circumstances.

So, what is schizophrenia and what does it take to get better?

The mental illness is a “chronic, severe, and disabling brain
disorder” according to the
National
Institute for Mental Health
. About 1 percent of Americans are
affected, showing the first signs of the disorder between the ages of 16 and 30
years old. Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders,
movement disorders, difficulty paying attention and making use of working
memory, as well as problems with executive functioning — the ability to understand and use information to make decisions.

About 80 years ago, before the availability of medications for
schizophrenic patients, studies showed that about 20 percent of people with the
disorder recovered on their own with time.
Studies now show
that with proper treatment and the right set of conditions, up to 60 percent of
patients can recover. Recovery, in this instance, means that the patient has
minimal symptoms for a period of at least six months — not that the schizophrenia goes away.

According
to Live Science
, Dr. Gilda Moreno, a clinical psychologist at Nicklaus Children's
Hospital in Miami, said that those who went into remission tended to develop
schizophrenia later in life, much like John Nash who didn’t present with
symptoms until he reached 30 years old.
Nash, and his wife, died recently in a car crash.

Also beneficial for recovery was having a strong social network.
Having a job, close ties with friends, the greater community, and having family
who can assist when needed were also indicators of a patient having a better
outcome.

Dr. Richard Warner, the Director of Colorado Recovery, wrote in his paper about
effective rehabilitation efforts, “Working appears to help people recover from
schizophrenia, and recent advances in vocational rehabilitation have been shown
to be effective in countries with differing economies and labor markets. A
growing body of research supports the concept that empowerment is an important
component of the recovery process.”

Warner also writes that optimism about recovery from the disorder
can be a contributor to a patient going into remission. In essence, hope — something that didn’t really exist for patients with the illness
until more recent years— can help.
Warner also believes that reducing the internalized stigma of
mental
illness
could enhance the recovery process.

The
site
Living
with Schizophrenia
offers additional factors that could contribute to the recovery
process. Patients, they note, who abstain from drugs and alcohol tended to have
better outcomes, as well as those who had a more rapid onset rather than a slow
development of the disorder.

Aging is also thought to help with symptoms and aid in the
recovery process. John Nash, for example, found that his symptoms started to
decrease in his 50s. The New York Times reported that Nash wrote to a friend
describing the feeling. He confessed, "I emerged from irrational thinking,
ultimately, without medicine other than the natural hormonal changes of
aging."

Not every person with schizophrenia will recover. However, more
research is being done all the time to figure out exactly why some people have
better success than others. As science advances, who knows how much better
treatment options will become. As of right now, the prognosis is certainly
better than it was a few decades ago. As doctors understand the disorder
better, treatment options expand for all patients.